Leviticus 25:46
And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.
The Lord is the owner of the land, and the people dwell upon it only as His tenants. This ownership and tenancy form the setting for the arrangements of Leviticus 25. Every seventh year the land was to be given rest from tillage. Its spontaneous growth in that year was provided for the poor and the strangers, as well as for the livestock. That open sharing taught liberality and showed God's care for those in need.